When he was substituted this Wednesday in the friendly against Girona, Ronald Koeman whispered something in De Jong's ear after greeting you. With the rest of players had been limited to shake hands. De Jong was coming off a disappointing match, with child mistakes on delivery, passes crossed in the middle without speed that cost, for example, a card to Sergi Roberto; and, in general, everything except what Koeman expects from the player to whom he wants to give the controls of the team.
Although this is still preparation period, Koeman it will be relentless with De Jong. He knows the football he has inside, the exorbitant price that Barça paid for his hiring (86 million euros) and that a year of adaptation, he knows well from his time as a player under Cruyff, is necessary. But it must be enough. Koeman needs than De Jong do many more things on the pitch, as he demonstrated at Ajax and the Dutch team that surprised him in the first edition of the Nations League.
Give the sensation that the ex ajacied play self-conscious at Barça, with a gear less than the one that made him the best midfielder of the continente with 21 years and with more desire not to be wrong than to stand out and make a difference. That thought has diabolical consequences, because more errors appear.
De Jong started well last year. Embraced by becoming familiar with the Barça style and by having chosen the Barça history before the Guardiola project in City and the money from PSG, he had a promising start. He seemed to adapt easily to the city and the club. However, its performance started to go down and it was especially disappointing in big games, especially in the two Classics. De Jong got injured in the first official post-confinement game against Mallorca and did not play until the penultimate round.
He first dissatisfied with its performance It's De Jong. He repeated it in several interviews last season. This course play with advantage. He coach speaks your language in all the senses; the system, the same with which he triumphed at Ajax, benefits him. And, at least in principle, he is the designated to take away he rhythm of Barça matches. Once the conditions are created for it to perform, the one who has to take the step is De Jong. Koeman is going to squeeze him.